Do you keep livestock? Having any problems? Want to talk about it, whether it be sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, bees or llamas, here is your place to discuss.
when I recently came into some unexpected money (thank you mr tax man ) we decided to spend it on things that would help us be more self sufficient and I bought a greenhouse and incubator. we used a homemade incubator last year but had no luck with posted eggs at all so gave up after 3 tries I bought some eggs on ebay to have a go with the new one (octagon 10) and this morning woke up to a strange chirping sound! took me a minute to realise what it must be we had a look earlier and they are hatching, I can even see yellow fluff in one egg
one has totally hatched and is all fluffy and cute. 2 others have little holes but sadly the one that also pipped yesterday died it looks totally perfect just didn't make it out
I always help mine out when I see they are coming. Incubation and the circulating air dries the shells and maybe makes them a tad harder? Mums add moisture through the sitting process, I think.
As soon as they peep, I start gently helping along the opening cos I figure it must be exhausting work trying to get out of there. Once they have contact with the air, they are breathing, so the quicker they come out and dry out the better, I think. Having said that... I don't just whip the egg open... I tend to pick away and peel back quite slowly... and in short sessions.
I just figured the Mum's would do that too, but I don't really know if that's true.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." - Charles Schultz
I didn't know whether to help or not as I've read mixed opinions on it so I left them but when I looked in again it had died. now I feel bad as it might of lived, they are only for pets/eggs and possibily dinner not breeding so it wouldn't of mattered if it wasn't perfect but then I would of felt guilty if it'd died later so there's no real easy answer
Ah mate - Don't sweat it. We live and learn and you will never really know what shoulda, coulda, woulda happened, so there is little point feeling bad about it. All is as it should be.
A good hatch rate is 70%. Did you know that? Losses are to be expected in incubation as it is impossible to recreate the natural process artificially. Even in a natural setting, I still allow for 4 duds in every clutch, so yours are doing just fine.
Keep watching them. Don't handle for the first 2 days. If they have not begun feeding after 48 hours, dip their beaks in water, then into your starter mash and leave them to get the hang of it. You may want to blend or grind your mash a bit more for the initial few feeds. I provide a near powder consistency for any I have incubated, as they can be a bit slow picking things up. (Am being polite there...)
It is always harder to raise small numbers than it is to raise a full clutch, as they don't have each others body heat, so fingers crossed you will still get a half dozen. Though roosters do seem to do better than hens in small numbers.
Keep us posted 2steps. Hatching time is very exciting! Stay positive and enjoy the whole experience. I hesitated too - and you only hesitate with the first one. There is nothing better than watching a little bird drag itself out of the shell and consider the world while it dries out. Birth is a really fascinating thing.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." - Charles Schultz
Hi,
I have one of those octagon 10s.
They are very expensive for wheat sin them but they are
very good.
I found that if i covered one breathing hole and added extra water
when i stopped the rotation, i got better results. The humidity
makes the shells easier for the little peeps to crack.
I do also help them along. I just pulled a few bit of shell away
every now and again. However, everytime you do that
you release all the humidity you have built up.
Which makes it harder for the next ones that you can't see.
So i try to let the first 4/5 coem out and help the last few.
This way its teh weaker ones you are helping.
Not sure if thats rith thing to do, but it worked for me.
I got 9 from a clutch of 10 first time i used it.
I later got 6 and then zero. with exact same conditions.
I blame the parents.
PS if anyone wants fertile eggs to hatch i can send some out for postage costs from Ireland.
Mine are golden commets (RIRxRIW) and a rooster of dubious parentage.
) we decided to spend it on things that would help us be more self sufficient and I bought a greenhouse and incubator. we used a homemade incubator last year but had no luck with posted eggs at all so gave up after 3 tries 
I bought some eggs on ebay to have a go with the new one (octagon 10) and this morning woke up to a strange chirping sound! took me a minute to realise what it must be 
we had a look earlier and they are hatching, I can even see yellow fluff in one egg 
